On April 12, Facebook launched its third-party fact-checking program in the Philippines, partnering with VERA Files Fact Check as well as Rappler.

Your questions about the program, answered.

How does the third-party fact-checking program work?

VERA Files Fact Check, which started during the 2016 elections, has been producing since September 2017 weekly roundups that debunk the most viral fake news, identifying their biggest social media traffic generators, and providing readers with the real deal. This is on top of debunking the false claims of public figures and tracking their flip-flops.

As Facebook’s third-party fact-checker, we are doing more of the same with greater frequency, and are also rating the accuracy of website articles posted on Facebook as:

FALSE, if the primary claim is factually inaccurate

TRUE, if the primary claim is factually accurate

MIXTURE, if the claim is misleading, unproven, partly true or a mix of accurate and inaccurate information

Articles may also be rated NOT ELIGIBLE for fact-checking if they contain information that benefit from additional context.

We follow the same stringent fact-checking process before publishing our reports, chiefly using primary sources as evidence and providing links to these in our reports.

What is fake news?

We define fake news as falsified information disguised as news spread through one or several platforms, including social media, to deliberately deceive the audience and advance political, ideological, social or economic interest.